together,theytestedthemenuitems
there, which made it a lot easier when
it came to opening the restaurant.
The menu has been designed to
allowgueststodictatehowlong
they want to dine – they can pop in
andhaveaquickbitetoeatbefore
headingontheirwayortheycan
stay and enjoy the experience
and food for a few hours.
Patrons have been quick to comment
on the strong Asian undertones of the
delicious dishes. “The menu itself has
alotofAsianinspirationthatIhave
picked up during my
time working with
Scot–hisother
restaurants also
have influences from
Asian ingredients.
“When it comes to
changing the menu, it
happensdishbydish
over time. As certain
ingredients come in or
go out of season, we
look to use them while
we can. I wouldn’t say
there is a signature
dish on the menu as
of yet, but there are
afew‘fanfavourites’.
The braised lamb roti
has been one such
dish along with the
Kerala-style fried
linefish served with
labneh, curried sultana
purée, pickled onion
and coriander oil,”
Stephen says.
The plethora of high-quality
produce in the Franschhoek valley,
whichislaudedbymanyasthe
culinary corner of South Africa, is of
great importance to Stephen. “Many
of the local suppliers we use are great
and have helped so much with the
ingredients we get from them. Vernon
Grimmbacher from Cape Honey Bee is
ourgo-toforsomeofourmoreunique
produce like lemon verbena, and
geranium leaves and flowers. And we
get some fantastic seafood from Ryan
Nienaber at Green Fish and the best
eggs from Farmer Angus McIntosh.”SCOT KIRTON (LEFT), SOUS CHEF
CAMERON SMITH AND HEAD CHEF
STEPHEN RAAFF (RIGHT)MUSSELS WITH CHILLI,
LEMONGRASS AND GINGER88 APRIL 2019FRANSCHHOEK DINING